We Want to Hear from You after Hurricane Irma

After Hurricane Irma devastated the Caribbean, the nation watched as Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas tried to prepare themselves for the recording-breaking storm this past weekend. Hurricane Irma made first landfall Sunday morning in the lower Florida Keys as a Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph winds. Its second landfall was 8 hours later, 180 miles south of Tampa, at Marco Island, Florida. The staff of NIA watched along with everyone, praying for our own families and for the safety of our members in the affected islands and states.

While the storm was downgrading faster than expected, the damage it left in its wake will take time to repair. Approximately 8.1 million homes and businesses have lost power and many will need to rebuild. Reports from members have been slow to come in, probably in part due to the loss of power. When you can reach out, please let us know that you are safe by emailing publications@insulation.org. We can post updates from individuals and businesses to share with the industry.

Member Updates

Angela Crumley of General Insulation’s Southeast Specialty division in Tampa let us know that she is well and that their employees are safe, but some of them have lost power at their homes. However, their branch of General Insulation is doing well and is operational.

CJ Botsolas of Proto says that Proto is up and running but does not yet have phones or internet.

Joe Hughes of Dyplast report on September 12 that “Dyplast and our employees very much appreciate the thoughts and prayers so many of you offered to us and indeed all in the path of Hurricane IRMA. All of our personnel are safe although a number still do not have electricity and water.  The Miami plant sustained minimal damage, and we appreciated the efforts that our staff made to be at the plant this morning. They came in spite of personal hardships.

Dyplast anticipates being operational on or before Friday September 15, 2017. We still have spotty telephone service at the site. We further anticipate that we will be back to normal operations next week fulfilling all orders. If you had already placed orders before Dyplast suspended operations these shipments will have priority.

Thank you for your patience. Please contact your Account Manager if you cannot get through to Customer Service, and you can always contact me directly via my cell.” www.dyplast.com

Donate to Help Those Affected Rebuild

If you are looking for a hands-on way to help, visit www.volunteerflorida.org/irma/ to sign up to volunteer.

Text “DISASTER” to 20222 to make a $10 donation to Florida Disaster Fund or visit FloridaDisasterFund.org. The Florida Disaster Fund is the State of Florida’s official private fund, which was established to assist Florida’s communities as they respond to and recover during times of emergency or disaster. There are no overhead costs and 100% of funds raised will go toward disaster-related response and recovery. Donations to the Florida Disaster Fund are made to the Volunteer Florida Foundation, 501(c)(3) charitable organization and are tax deductible.

Text “Irma” to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross fund.

Florida Residents: Many Businesses Have Offers to Help You

Xfinity has free wifi hotspots to aid in communications. Visit Xfinity.com/wifi to search in your area.

At&T is trying to help love ones connect and is offering unlimited data through September 17 to those in some of the affected areas.

Jetblue is offering discounted flights to help evacuees return home. They will offer any remaining seats on direct flights to Florida departing through September 18 for a reduced fare of $99, and $159 for connecting flights as it brings operations back online following Hurricane Irma.

To help people prepare for Hurricane Irma,  U-Haul offered 30 days free self-storage at 95 facilities in Florida. Check with your local U-Haul as some locations may extend this offer as residents rebuild.

Lost or Found Pets: Many shelters in Florida were pet friendly and citizens were able to safely find shelter with their pets. If you need to report a lost or found pet, you can download the free VetsPlusMore app on your Apple or Android mobile device and the app will work to match lost pets with found animals and contact the owners.